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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27212725">The Souls Desire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaschaiell/pseuds/Zaschaiell'>Zaschaiell</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Bashing, F/M, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:14:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,792</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27212725</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaschaiell/pseuds/Zaschaiell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><em>With a snap, he closed the book he was reading and looked straight up into dark crimson eyes.</em><br/><em>A sardonic smirk graced his face, when he asked the man who seated himself in the opposite chair of him. ”Do you believe in fate?”</em> </p>
<p>Harry Potter was not chosen, as the prophecy child by the Dark Lord, Neville Longbottom is the boy-who-lived.<br/>What would happen if he decided he did not want to live with his abusive family?. Without the attention of the Wizarding World, he would be able to make his own choices and walk the road of life his way.</p>
<p>Yet fate is fickle, and his threads of destiny are tangled with those of the Dark Lord, and sooner or later, they will meet. What would happen if he caught the attention of the dark lord who saw himself in the strange young man.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter Characters &amp; Original Male Character(s), Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>His Hands clawed firmly into the back of the couch as he waited for the next blow of the belt. </p>
<p>He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, feeling the sting of tears behind his eyelids. He did not want to cry, did not want to let them see his weakness as the next strike of the belt hit his back. </p>
<p>He had stopped counting after the sixth blow. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Smack“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He winced when the next blow struck him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Smack“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was not weak. He would not give in and apologize, would not beg for forgiveness so that his uncle would stop. His magic was a gift that had saved him countless times, this time from his bully of a cousin and his friends. How he had appeared on the roof of the school, he could not even imagine.</p>
<p>However, he was quite confident that he never experienced whatever he felt, as he stood there on top of the roof, above everyone else. </p>
<p>Gleeful and slightly out of breath, he had looked at his cousin and his friends, who were making confused faces as they searched for him. They had no chance to follow him, and that was enough for the moment, consequences be damned. And at the thought, he had remembered something he once read in an old book at the library. <em>Nothing matters, and that’s a good thing as it sets you free. (- Naval Ravikant)</em></p>
<p>As he stood there above everyone, the wind playing with his hair and a serene expression on his face, it felt like freedom. He was untouchable and unbound would he take a step forward, he was sure he would fly and be able to reach the clouds. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was exhilarating.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He knew what would happen when he saw the fearful look of his cousin as he saw him there, heard how Dudley called for the teachers, but he could not help himself to prevent himself from enjoying every moment he stood beyond the reach of everyone else. His magic had sparked beneath his skin as a result of the emotions he’d felt. His was a gift, and no coming punishment could convince him otherwise. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Smack“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He hated his uncle hated this whole family, he could not even bring himself to call them his.</p>
<p>Even though his aunt did not hit him like his uncle, she was no better than her walrus of a husband, rather worse when he thought about how she was the sister of their mother.</p>
<p>Every time he looked into the eyes of his aunt, he could see her hatred for him. He knew what she was thinking, could glean in her memory the resemblance to his father. Each time her gaze would turn to his two years older cousin to compare him to her sister's son, and when she finally concluded that he, Lili's son was better than her own, he saw how she could not suppress her jealousy and immediately she would pull a grim face, her forehead would start to wrinkle, and she would turn up her nose as if she had smelled something rotten and would in a high-pitched voice begin to insult him with poisonous words.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Smack“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He trembled as the next blow hit a sensitive spot, it hurt, but he had learned long ago how to distance himself from the pain and suppress his reactions to his tormentors. </p>
<p>He could not retaliate against the adults in his life, yet. He would abide till the right time, nevertheless was he not a forgiving person, and so Dudley was regarded as fair game for his frustrations. Dudley was fat for a child his age and not exceptionally smart, one could tell he had a lack of intellectual ability, and his actions were easy to predict. With effort, he was able to redirect his cousin's attention to more significant problems than to bully him. Dudley learned that to make him a target was to humiliate himself. Yet some days he still tried, to his consternation today was such day. A retaliation would follow he told himself. He was still too weak to go against his uncle and had not enough leverage to make him truly pay.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Smack“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was only seven years old but compared to children his age, he had a certain maturity due to his previous experiences the other children lacked. That led him to wish he could crucify his uncle.</p>
<p>At this time he was unable to fight back, but he will remember every single punishment, every single word against him, and one day he swore to himself, he would pay them back. Something in him urged him for vengeance would not rest still he could make them scream, and hurt them as he was hurt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A sound made him attentive, and he fixed his gaze above the stairs only to catch the sight of the tear-stained Hazel eyes of his younger sister, who stared into his emerald green ones. </p>
<p>She was weak and naive, in his opinion, did not have his intelligence, and was therefore uninteresting to him most of the time when they interacted together. He had nothing in common with her except the blood that flew through her veins. Perhaps because he was so dismissive to her, she worshipped him so. </p>
<p>It was almost fanatical how much effort she put in to try to get his attention or interest. Like a duckling, she attempted to follow him when he wanted to go somewhere.</p>
<p>If she learned something new, he was the person his sister approached, she wanted to show him first, get his praise, and maybe even his admiration? he was not quite sure.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the other hand, he loathed the way she called his Aunt Petunia Mama. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Contrary to him, had she no memories of their parents and was considered family in this household. She hadn't suffered. With her blood-red hair, was she a dead-ringer of their dead mother when she was her age accordingly to Petunia. As a daughter, their aunt could never have was she consequential Petunias pride and joy.</p>
<p>Where she is pampered together with Dudley, any whim indulged, he was no better than the plague, no better than an ant under a boot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was hit by a fist at the temple of his head a split second, bevor he realized that his uncle had stopped beating him.</p>
<p>He fell to the ground hard, almost threw up from nausea that was suddenly afflicting him, and with a kick to his abdomen, he almost lost his consciousness. </p>
<p>“Boy, don't you dare ignore me!“ His uncle spat at him as blood dripped from his head alongside his temple onto the floor. </p>
<p>Dazed, he couldn't react when another kick hit his ribs, though he was all too aware when he heard something break and reflexively spit out a mouthful of blood. His face took on a pale color, wondering if he would survive the night, and if so, how long he would live in this household before his uncle accidentally killed him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A hand grabbed him forcefully by his neck, and he groaned in pain before he could suppress his reaction. </p>
<p>The cupboard under the stairs was by his uncle violently unbolted, and unceremoniously he was thrown onto the cot. His head slammed with force against the wall, and once more, it was difficult for him not to lose consciousness.</p>
<p>Slightly grimacing, he wiped the remaining blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. It was so dark that he could hardly see anything.</p>
<p>The condition of his body was, without a doubt, beyond delicate. Every attempt to take a deep breath caused excruciating pain in his body.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As the door of the cupboard securely latched, he heard his uncle grumbling to his aunt. “Why did we have to take him in?. He is unnatural! A freak, I tell you!" followed by a mumbled, “I hope the beating you gave him will stop his freakishness“ from his aunt. </p>
<p>When he heard the TV getting louder and his uncle shouting “Pet, bring me another beer“ to his aunt, he began to focus on his gift so that it could help him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the beginning, it was challenging to use his magic as he'd required. It took a lot of coaxing and begging for his magic to work. It was a stressful and cumbersome process, but these days he had done it so many times that he didn't need much concentration. A small pull was enough to feel the warm tickle under his skin. </p>
<p>With his still foggy mind from the blow to his head, it was exhausting to strain his magic this way, but he had school tomorrow and would need every healing his magic could give him. When it became easier to take breaths, and the pain began to abide, he made himself comfortable on the narrow cot. The night would not be peaceful. Chances were high, he would sleep unsatisfactorily, yet he would take as much rest as he could get.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day was challenging, his whole back throbbed, and every move he made was exhausting for his tender body. All overstraining movements made him miserable. He could not even remember the last time his uncle punished him as gravely as the day before.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Most of the time he spent at school, he was endlessly bored. He was way ahead of his classmates in the material they were discussing and unable to advance without his guardian's permission he had nothing to do except waiting for the time to pass, and time passed very slowly today.</p>
<p>It had started raining sometime during the night, and he could hear the wind hurling the raindrops against the window glass. It had a calming effect on him.</p>
<p>He sat in a window seat at the back of the classroom, and as the teacher was lecturing at the chalkboard, he could let his mind wander. Staring vacantly into the cloudy sky, he let himself think about what happened the day before.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All morning and on the way to school, his sister had been giving him fleeting glances, he could see in her eyes that she was worried about him, and wanted to help him, but didn't know how, she was still only six years old, but had learned that if she annoyed him, he would ignore her. She knew what would happen if she tried to talk to him.</p>
<p>He was callous, ruthless, and closed off after his uncle's sessions, and gave everyone the cold shoulder if anyone dared to speak to him. His face was a mask of dull apathy and frightened off his classmates before they even got near him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As he let his mind wander, his gaze caught sight of the open school gate, and the longer he stared at the opening, the more a line of thought stuck out to him from the rest of his turmoiled mind. One realization emerged - he could just leave - what was holding him back?. The ring on his finger pulsed hot in agreement at this thought. As if agreeing with his choice to leave.</p>
<p>The lust to be free from his relatives was so great, that he would prefer to live on the streets, rather than under the roof of his so-called family.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He had noticed that his magic was getting stronger since his seventh birthday, month by month, it was getting more natural to use, for small things like making something float or coaxing plants to grow. Before yesterday, he did not even know he could teleport, he thought, thinking of his trip to the school roof. He had no warning before it happened, his magic had reacted without his input amidst his desperation to get away from his cousin.</p>
<p>It would be devastating if his uncle caught him using his magic.</p>
<p>The damage his uncle could do to him, hurting him so badly that he would not be able to heal himself for his freakishness for his magic, made him more and more anxious every day. One day his uncle would escalate his punishments beyond what he would be able to handle. Was it not better to leave before then? The thought about it wouldn’t leave him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Would one look for him? Or would his family try to hide his disappearance?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>According to the rumors his cousin had spread about him, he was a delinquent, a thief, and most people he met, both children and adults, avoided him. It would be easy to disappear inconspicuously. His magic could help him not to attract attention.</p>
<p>The thought just wouldn't let go of him, and when the bell for lunch break rang, he made his way through the courtyard to the school gate.</p>
<p>It was still drizzling, and without an umbrella the clothes of his were slowly soaked through, becoming heavy and cold. It felt like a balm on his injured skin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He stopped a few steps before he could pass through the gate. It was still open, an invitation if he ever saw one and in the back of his mind something pushed, something wanted him to go. Standing still, he took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. The screeching of the children playing in the distance was only a muted noise in his perception, he listened instead to the much louder rain falling around him. Without distraction, he went deep inside himself again to carefully reconsider his decision. He was not fully aware of the implications of his tremendous decision, but he decided that if he left now, he would not return, come what may, he would not regret the disadvantages of his choice.</p>
<p>When he could no longer resist the temptation and took the first steps towards his independence, he heard a voice behind him.</p>
<p>“Where are you going?“</p>
<p>Exasperated, he turned halfway around and looked over his shoulder into the face of his sister.</p>
<p>“Away, far away“ he replied. Why was she here?</p>
<p>“I'll come with you.“ she said unusually seriously as if she already suspected that he was up to something she did not want to be excluded from, and began to approach him.</p>
<p>He narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to stop her “Alone“ he said in a biting voice.</p>
<p>Her eyes grew large, and her lower lip began to tremble “You're leaving me behind?“ she asked angrily. Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose and looked towards the sky. So emotional, he just thought and answered her.</p>
<p>“I am leaving. I can not stand it here, and I am made for more than what our relatives want for me. Our parents didn't sacrifice themselves for us, so this man who has more qualities with a whale, than a human being, will kill me one day or do anything else with me“ he slightly ranted.</p>
<p>“You can take me with you, and we can go together“ was her prompt answer with a hopeful look to him.</p>
<p>“No, you would only be a burden,“ he replied. The look he sent her, left her wanting. She was still not accomplished enough, to get her brothers admiration.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A burden, she though.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You did not see me leave if anyone asks! - Promise?“ he asked with a powerful voice and cold eyes that promised retribution should she not obey him.</p>
<p>He waited until she had answered with a broken “Promise“ before he quickly turned around, to take energetic steps towards his freedom.</p>
<p>His sister would keep her mouth shut, should anybody ask about him. A vow was sacred in her opinion, an advantage he was all too happy to use this time.</p>
<p>“When are you coming back“ he still heard her ask behind him.</p>
<p>A muttered “Never“ could be heard over the wind, just before he disappeared in the now pouring rain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hearing the words left her inwardly crumbling. She was a burden, according to her much-beloved brother, and he had left her behind because of her incompetence. Never before had she felt such rage beneath her skin, because of their relatives he had left and she was not good enough for her brother to take her with him.</p>
<p>Remembering him in all his facets, a resolve began to emerge, an urge so powerful that it would shape her whole future. She would become strong, chase after him, and never let him go. Her love for her brother was all-consuming. She never again wanted to feel such a crushing defeat as she experienced right now.</p>
<p>With a steely glint in her eyes, she turned and made her way back to the school she still had a lot to learn.</p>
<p>She would meet him again, this was not the final time she saw him she swore to herself.</p>
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